Each week at In The Past Lane, the American history podcast, host and Historian-at-Large, Edward T. O’Donnell, brings you news, stories, interviews, and special features on all things U.S. history. His aim is to be both engaging and thought-provoking, inspired by the notion that history explains the world we live in and provides insights into how to achieve a more prosperous, peaceful, and just future. So come along with us as we journey In The Past Lane. www.InThePastLane.comwww.EdwardTODonnell.com

This week at In The Past Lane, the history podcast, I speak with
historian Craig Bruce Smith talks about his new book, American
Honor: The Creation of the Nation’s Ideals during the Revolutionary
Era. Throughout the era of the American Revolution, Americans
spoke of honor all the time, most famously in the Declaration of
Independence, the last sentence of which reads, “we mutually pledge
to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” But
what did the Founders mean by “honor”? Craig Bruce Smith explains
that honor was a crucial concept that shaped the way Americans came
to understand their struggle for independence and to establish an
enduring republic.

In the course of our discussion, Craig Bruce
Smith:

What honor meant in 18th century American political culture –
and why it was such an important concept in the era of the American
Revolution.

How GW and the patriots framed the Am Rev as a struggle to
defend the honor of the Americans against a dishonorable attempt by
the British to oppress them.

And how GW likewise depicted the treason of Benedict Arnold as
evidence of the dishonorable nature of the British cause.

How women and the enslaved, and not just elites, appealed to
honor to gain greater respect and rights.

How at the end of the war, Washington defused a potential mutiny
of Continental Army officers by invoking their sense of “sacred
honor.”

How honor in the young republic was gradually transformed from
something tied to high birth and status, into something one could
earn by honorable conduct.

Why honor, in the era of the Revolution, denounced dueling as a
thoroughly dishonorable practice – and then how that changed as a
very different definition of honor emerged in the early 1800s.

Recommended reading:

Craig Bruce Smith, American Honor: The Creation of the
Nation’s Ideals during the Revolutionary Era (University of
North Carolina Press, 2018)

About the Podcast

In each episode of In The Past Lane, the history podcast, we take up topics in American history and explore them through feature pieces, interviews, book and film reviews, and more. Our guiding philosophy is that history is not just about the past - it's about our world, here and now. History explains why things are the way they are, everything from our economy, religious practices, and foreign policy, to political ideology, family structure, and rates of poverty. Our aim is to be both informative and educational, as well as entertaining and funny. We hope you'll join us for memorable journeys In The Past Lane.